Swing



Patented Nov. 21, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SWING James W. Miller, Roosevelt, Okla. Application August 4, 1938, Serial No. 223,120

8 Claims. (01.155-58) This invention relates to an improved swing having a. chair-shaped seat adapted to be formed from a pneumatic tire casing.

It is an aim of this invention to provide an improved chair-shaped seat for swings which will be shaped to provide the utmost comfort and safety, and the exposed portion o-f'which will be sufiiciently flexible and resilient to prevent injury to furniture or other elements against which the swing may accidentally come in contact while in use.

More particularly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved chair-shaped swing seat which may be economically manufactured from worn out or abandoned tire casings to form a durable and comfortable structure.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view thereof,

Figure 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the same,

Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure l, and

Figure 4 is a transverse horizontal sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the different views, Ill designates generally the seat of the swing and H the resilient supporting means therefor.

The seat H], which is chair-shaped, is formed from a pneumatic tire casing a portion of the tread and side walls of which is cut off and discarded to leave the remaining portion including the circular bead, which remains intact therewith. The portion of the tread and side walls from which the seat lil is formed, which is designated i2, is positioned so that thetread side 13 will be uppermost and the intermediate portion and one end of the member i2 is turned inside out to form the concave seat curved back IS. The opposite end l6 which is left in its normal shape, forms a rounded hump as best seen in Figures 1 and 3 to provide a leg rest.

The upper end of the back 15 is adapted to be widened by splitting the center portion thereof, from the top, and pulling the opposite sides outwardly, to form a V-shaped notch I! .which is covered by the V-shaped strip l8, cut from the unused portion of the tire casing and secured l4, and the rounded to theinner side of the back l5 by the fastenings I9.

As best seen in Figures 1 and 2 the beads 20 which are left integral with the portion 12 are cut away from the upper portion of the back l5, as indicated at 2|, and are bent through an arc to form the arcuately shaped arms 22 which extend below the leg rest I5 and which are twisted at 23 and curved upwardly to connect with the end of the portion I2 which forms leg rest It. Between the twist 23 and the point at which the beads connect with the leg rest end I6, is formed the loops 24, for a purpose which will be hereinafter described.

In order to retain portion l2 in the form of a seat l4, back rest l5 and leg rest Hi, the transverse rigid straps 25 and 26 are provided which are shaped to correspond to the outer side of the back l5 and leg rest It respectively. Strap 25 is secured to the back H) by the fastenings l9 and to the V-shaped member I8 by the fastening 21, and the opposite ends of the strap 25 are bent to form the hooks 28 which engage the beads 20 to assist in supporting them adjacent their upper end. The strap 26 is secured to the under side of the foot rest by the fastening 29 and to the beads 20 adjacent the twisted point 23 by similar fastenings 29, to retain the shapt of the leg rest it and the relative position of the adjacent portion of the beads 20 thereto.

Secured to the under side of the seat. I4 are the corresponding ends 30 of the supporting straps 3!, which form a part of'the supporting means II, and which extend upwardly and are looped at their opposite free ends to connect with the rings 32. Straps 3|, intermediate of their ends; are secured to the intermediate portion of the-arms 22 and combine with the rigid straps 25 and 26 to retain the beads 20 in thir proper relative position to the'remaining parts of the seat In.

1 A crossbar 33 is provided, adjacent the opposite ends of which are secured the depending chains 34 having the snap hooks 35connected to their free ends and adapted to removably engage the rings 32 for supporting the chair II] from the bar 33. Bar 33, in turn, is supported by the diverging chains 36 which are connected at their lower diverging ends to the bar 33 and at their upper ends to the chain 31.

An expansion coil spring 38 has the intermediate portion of a pair of metal strips 39 threaded therethrough from opposite directions, with the opposite ends of each of said strips bent outwardly upon themselves to form the hooks 40 which engage around the opposite ends of the spring 38 to connect the strips thereto with the interme-' diate portions thereof projecting in opposite directions therefrom. The intermediate portion which projects through the lower end of the spring 38 is connected by means of the hook 4| to the upper end of the chain 31, while the corresponding portion of the other strip 39 which projects upwardly from the spring 38 is connected to a hook 42 secured in a ceiling, or other suitable elevated support as indicated at 43, for resiliently supporting the swing.

From the foregoing it will be seen, that a downward pull on the seat ID will contract the spring 38 to thereby form a spring support. The occupant of the swing sits in the seat portion l4 and leans back against the back rest l5 with his or her legs dangling over the leg rest l6, or if desired, the feet may be moved outwardly and into engagement with the loops 24 which will then be employed as stirrups for supporting the feet. Straps 3i and the arms 22 will prevent the occupant of the swing from falling out on either side thereof, and the rigid members 25 and 26 will retain the shape of the chair-shaped seat In in the form as illustrated.

The supporting straps 3|, although forming a part of the supporting means ll of the chair I 0, are permanently secured to the chair by means of the fastenings 44 which connect straps 3| to the arms 22 and to the seat l4, so that when the swing is dissembled the rings 32 will be disconnected from thehooks 35 leaving the straps 3| as a part of the chair It].

Various modifications and changes in the construction of the swing may obviously be made and are contemplated, as only a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, and the right is therefore expressly reserved to make such variations and changes as do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A device of the class described comprising a flexible strip, the intermediate portion and one end thereof being bent lengthwise and transversely to form a concave seat and rounded back, respectively, strips connecting the opposite sides and opposite ends of said first mentioned flexible strip, said last mentioned strips being positioned above and at opposite sides of said first mentioned flexible strip to form sides, and means connecting said seat portion and said sides and extending upwardly therefrom to suspend the device.

2. A device as in claim 1, and rigid straps extending transversely of the opposite ends of said flexible strip and shaped to correspond thereto, said straps being secured to said opposite ends to retain said flexible strip in its proper shape.

3. A swing comprising a section of a pneumatic tire casing, said section having its intermediate portion and one end turned inside out and bent lengthwiseand crosswise to form a concave seat and a rounded back, respectively, the opposite end of said section being bent lengthwise and crosswise in the opposite direction to form a leg rest, strips connecting the ends of corresponding sides of said section, the intermediate portions of said strips being arcuately shaped and disposed above the sides of the seat to form arms, reinforcing means disposed transversely of the opposite ends of said section to retain its shape, and means connected to said seat portion and to the arms and extending upwardly therefrom for suspending the device.

4. In a swing, a chair-shaped member, and resilient suspending means connected thereto and adapted to be suspended from a ceiling or the like; said chair-shaped member being formed from a portion of a pneumatic tire casing having its intermediate portion and one end turned inside out and bent lengthwise and crosswise to form a concave seat and rounded upwardly extending back, respectively, the opposite end being bent lengthwise and crosswise in the opposite direction and turned downwardly to form a leg rest, and rigid reinforcing members secured across the ends of said portion.

5. A swing having a chair-shaped seat formed ends of said section, having arcuately shaped intermediate portions disposed above and at the sides of said seat portion.

6. In a swing, a chair shaped member formed from a flexible strip having its intermediate portion and one end bent longitudinally and trans versely to provide a concave seat and a rounded upwardly curved back rest, respectively, the opposite end of said strip being bent longitudinally and transversely in the opposite direction and curved downwardly to provide a leg connected at their endsto the ends of said strip and having arcuately shaped intermediate portions disposed above and on each side of the seat, and rigid reinforcing members secured across the ends of said strip for fixing the shape thereof.

7. An article as in claim 6, and stirrups formed integral with said arms and disposed in depending relationship relatively to the sides of the leg rest.

8. A device as in claim 6, and means for yieldably supporting said chair member from above including hangers secured to the sides of the seat and to the intermediate portions of said arms and projecting upwardly therefrom on either side of the chair shaped member, said hangers reinforcing and fixing the position of said arms relatively to the seat portion.

JAMES W. MILLER.

rest, arms 

